Awarding of the winners
The Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering held the summing up and award ceremony for the winners of the V International Architectural Open Creative Competition "ArchConcept." This year's competition was held under the theme "Modern City. Traditions and Innovations."
Oleg Romanov, Chairman of the Competition Organizing Committee, Honored Architect of Russia, Honorary President and Advisor to the President of the Union of Architects of St Petersburg, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, PhD of Architecture, and Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design, addressed the participants and guests with a welcoming speech. He noted the high level of the submitted works and emphasized the importance of conceptual thinking in contemporary architecture:
"The number of awardees today speaks to the high level of the competition. The work of our colleagues—both Russian and international—was distinguished by its innovativeness and interesting conceptual solutions. Participating in competitions is one of the most important components of an architect's professional career."
The Chairman of the competition jury, Vladimir Linov, Honored Architect of Russia, Professor of the International Academy of Architecture, and Associate Professor at SPbGASU, emphasized the scale of the work accomplished and noted that the jury had to evaluate a significant number of projects, including those submitted in Chinese. He expressed hope for further strengthening of the conceptual component of the competition proposals.
Andrey Surovenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Competition Organizing Committee and Acting Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture, recalled that the competition began as a university competition and within a few years had grown to an international level:
"The competition intensifies every year, and the number of interesting concepts grows. We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their courage to test their skills in a professional environment."
DSc in Architecture, Professor, and Head of the SPbGASU Department of Urban Planning Yulia Yankovskaya noted that in today's environment, it is especially important to preserve the creative spirit of the profession and support the conceptual direction of architectural activity.
The Competition curator Daria Boytsova presented statistics: over 500 applications were received for the 2025–2026 competition season, and including the program's supervisors, the total number of participants approached 1,000. Representatives from higher education institutions in Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic participated in the project.
Competition winners
The winners of the V International Competition "ArchConcept" were representatives of Russian and foreign higher education institutions.
Nomination "Architecture"
Professional architects
Khoja Fionalda, Elena Kuznetsova – project "Development of the city of Tirana. Educational complex in the area of "Artificial Lake Tirana"" (Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov).
Conceptual proposal
Nadezhda Zanina – “Educational and training complex in Moscow” (Ural State University of Architecture and Art named for N.S. Alferov (USUAA)).
Diploma project
Anna Kalugina – “Museum complex in Yekaterinburg” (USUAA).
Course project
Aleksandra Borisova – “Museum of the Sea in Novorossiysk” (USUAA).
Nomination "Urban Planning"
Conceptual proposal
Madina Abdrakhmanova, Arina Korelskaya, Vladimir Ponomarev (SPbGASU).
Diploma project
Pavel Panshin – “Adaptive coastal settlement “Hydropolis”” (Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba).
Course project
Bogdan Lobanov, Daria Manakova (SPbGASU).
Nomination "Architectural Environment Design"
Professional architects
Anna Rodina, Ksenia Raskurina, Ksenia Yakovleva (SPbGASU).
Conceptual proposal
Li Qiuhao, Zhu Hanlin, Huo Minqi, Li Rui (Heibei University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, People's Republic of China).
Course project
Taisya Kiryanova (SPbGASU).
Nomination "Restoration and Reconstruction of Architectural Heritage"
Professional architects
Anastasia Urdasheva (SPbGASU).
Conceptual proposal
Tatiana Gavrilyuk (SPbGASU).
Diploma project
Maria Ulybina (Tambov State Technical University).
Course project
Jin Hanyu, Li Yutong, He Xuanwei (Shenyang University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, People's Republic of China).
Students of general education institutions and students of secondary vocational education institutions
The jury paid special attention to the youngest participants: students from general education institutions and students from secondary vocational educational institutions showed their skills on par with professionals, demonstrating bold ideas, creative thinking, and a high level of project preparation.
Nomination "Architecture. Students of general education institutions"
First degree diploma – Yulia Startseva, supervisor Olga Gromkovskaya: “The concept of the modern city of Eventum on Mars” (Voronezh, Lyceum No. 7).
Second degree diploma – Evgeny Panteleev, “Concept of an exhibition center” (St Petersburg, school No. 175).
Nomination "Architecture. Students of secondary vocational education institutions"
First degree diploma – Ilya Lebret, supervisor Elena Strelnikova: “Chalet-style cottage” (Krasnodar College of Architecture and Civil Engineering).
Second degree diploma – Anastasia Tsyplakova, supervisor Elena Strelnikova: “Educational school for 725 students in the city of Krasnodar” (Krasnodar College of Architectural and Civil Engineering).
Third degree diploma – Pavel Sedegov, supervisor Irina Ablizina: “Project for a 100-bed hotel” (Perm Construction College).
These projects demonstrated that even school and college students can create professionally thought-out architectural concepts, and their participation became an important component of the international competition.
